Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Who… am I?

Hwang Dongsoo’s soul saw his life flash before his eyes as he fell toward the abyssal sea of the afterlife.

Who am I?

A panorama of the life he had lived thus far was blazing past at a rapid pace.

Dongsoo’s life had not been anything too special. He had been born into a family that was slightly less prosperous than others. His only brother had abandoned him because he considered Dongsoo to be useless. He had lucked out by becoming an S-rank villain, only to be chased down immediately by Choi Jongin and Woo Jinchul, those damnable bastards.

Then he had met them—The Church of the Outer Gods.

At first, Dongsoo had assumed that the Church was just another pyramid scheme business taking on the format of a religious cult. As it turned out, however, they had dipped their toes in quite a few different fields, and they were bigger than he had expected.

The Church was also quite villainous in the sense that they didn’t care how much harm they did to others as long as their goals were reached. But it was this fact about them that actually inspired Dongsoo’s trust. He found it much easier to work with those who did not bother to hide their desires than with hypocrites who concealed their true intentions.

What was more, Dongsoo had been forced to avoid the Hunters Association as he went about his activities, and he’d been in need of all kinds of information. The Church of the Outer Gods had extensive access to information, making them useful. Therefore, he had willingly entered a partnership with them—in return for lending them his strength, they would give him information. It was an equal arrangement—or at least it started that way.

From Dongsoo’s point of view, this job had not seemed particularly difficult. He had been asked to clear a field-type dungeon in the area without anyone knowing. It was a very simple job—by clearing out the magic beasts inside the dungeon, it would allow the Church to set up a black market in front of it.

But they tricked me.

Dongsoo’s soul gritted his teeth angrily. He had only realized what had happened to him after his death, and he could now remember what the Church of the Outer Gods had done to him.

From the start, the dungeon he had been tasked with clearing had been set up with a suspicious magic circle. At the time, Dongsoo believed it was just a peculiarity of the dungeon, but in truth, it was a trap laid just for him. He had fallen prey to the magic the moment he stepped inside, like a praying mantis caught in a spider’s web.

“O Itarim!”

And that was how he became a high priest of the Church of the Outer Gods.

After that point, he had worshiped the Itarim from the bottom of his heart and followed their commands without demanding anything in return. He would pray avidly in the chapel, and the Itarim, somewhere out there above him, would send him splendid revelations.

“Spread the Stardust everywhere.”

“A great door will open on this earth when you do.”

“The Itarim will come through that door.”

“They will come…”

“Ah, yes, Itarim!”

I can’t believe I fell for that nonsense! Dongsoo could not hide his rage as he let out a yowl.

Dongsoo could see the sea of the afterlife far below him, its maw gaping up at him. He did not want to go down there. It was not simply because he was angry at being deceived or because he wanted revenge. There was a more fundamental reason—because he had realized that he had an extremely important duty to perform.

Dongsoo’s soul let out another roar. He floundered, doing his best to escape the terrible sea. He reached out desperately toward the distant sky far above him.

I can’t die like this!I’m going back!I… I’m not…

Up above, he could see a fierce battle transpiring in the sky. A vast statue made by the Church, shaped after the Itarim, was fighting a tiny human.

Dongsoo gaped. He saw the young man’s face, the look in his eyes, and the darkness coming from his hands. Instinct told him who this man was, in addition to a crucial truth.

His soul reached toward the figure in the great darkness—the man who resembled someone truly great, instead of a mere Itar. “Please!I am dying!” he cried. “Please, call my name!”

At that moment, Suho, who had been fighting the statue, turned around and looked down. His eyes spotted the soul of Dongsoo—otherwise known as Greed—slowly sinking away into the sea of the afterlife. He heard his desperate plea, and he reached out without hesitation and grabbed him.

“Arise…”

The soul’s eyes went wide.

“Greed.”

Ding!

[The Shadow Extraction was a success.]

Greed roared, taking the hand and rising up from the sea. He jumped up with explosive energy and slammed his fist into the face of the damned statue he saw in front of him. Half of the idol’s face was smashed instantly.

“Gah! How dare you betray me!” Greed shouted.

The statue crushed his body with its massive hand, giving off a burst of extremely hostile energy. But this was not enough.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Greed stopped the huge palm easily and slowly emerged from below it.

[Greed - Level 1 - General Grade]

“How dare you try such tricks with me! I was once part of the shadow army!” Greed cried.

“Ah! You are back, Greed!”

“Greed!”

Both Beru and Iron welcomed him back. Greed recognized them, his eyes glowing.

This was no time to enjoy a happy reunion, however.

“All of you…”

Just like Iron, Greed was now back to being a shadow soldier and instinctively realized who Suho was. In addition, he knew the role that would be given to him as the strongest soldier here.

“Help the Young Monarch! I will take the lead!” Greed bellowed.

At that moment, all the shadow soldiers followed him and lunged at the statue. Their attacks were focused on the necklace that Suho had been targeting. Bits of rock flew everywhere.

In the end, the necklace cracked. But Greed, who had been a high priest of the Itarim, knew a secret—the real weakness of the statue wasn’t its necklace. It was hidden deeper inside.

“Young Monarch, now is the time! That’s the spot you need to—!”

Suho, however, was already swinging his swords with all his might.

Iron Body Technique!

The dark energy extended the two Vulcan’s Horns into mammoth black blades. They split the core of the statue, which had been exposed by the earlier attacks.

Ding!

[The Statue of the Church of the Outer Gods has been defeated!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

Before Suho could even be happy at the incredible level-ups he had achieved, the statue began to fall apart. Those who were nearby were left to deal with the destructive consequences.

“Ahhh!”

The demons, devotees, and ordinary hunters who managed to remain standing scattered in all directions as chunks of stone fell from overhead.

“Protect my grandfather!” Suho shouted.

It was Greed who moved first. “Sung Ilhwan! I have come to save you!” he cried.

“Well, talk about a turn of events,” Ilhwan said, laughing incredulously. He had been sitting on the floor, completely drained of energy. He let Greed take his arm and help him up.

“A-are you all right?” Greed asked.

“You know the answer to that question,” the old man said with a grin, coughing up blood.

Greed hurriedly took Ilhwan to Suho. “Young Monarch! He needs a potion!”

Shocked by his grandfather’s state, Suho quickly produced a healing potion and gave it to him.

Ilhwan did not seem to be any better after drinking it. This was unsurprising. Even though the statue had been destroyed, there were still dozens of Star Fragments in his body.

“Kieeeek! Lord Ilhwan!”

“Grandfather! Have another one! And this too!”

Beru and Suho quickly took out all their mana potions and antidotes and poured them into Ilhwan’s mouth.

The old man, however, simply seemed to be happy that his grandson was so worried for him. “Heh. Don’t make such a fuss. I’m not dying anytime soon. That’s enough.”

Ilhwan stretched, looking quite refreshed. The ominous blue energy was still leaking out of his body, however.

“Greed,” Suho said, glaring at the man who had been a high priest of the Itarim. “Tell me everything you know about my grandfather’s current condition.” Since Greed had lived with the same Star Fragments in his body, he was sure to know something—and he knew the most among any of them since he also had his memories from his past life back.

“His current condition, hm…” Greed stared gravely at the stones embedded in Ilhwan’s body. Small cracks had formed around the fragments. “These are stones that cause a dimensional breach and summon the mana of the Outer Universes. They are miniature gates, in a way.”

“Gates?” Suho repeated, his eyes wide. “You mean to say my dear grandfather has dozens of gates opening inside him?”

My “dear” grandfather? “Ahem…” Ilhwan coughed and tried not to smile as he stood beside Suho.

As it so happened, the grandfather and grandson hadn’t exactly been on the best of terms over the past few years, but that was only because of a difference in the amount of information each had access to. Ilhwan simply hadn’t been worried when Jinwoo suddenly went missing because he knew that his son was the Monarch of Shadows. It was no wonder that Suho, as Jinwoo’s son, had thought Ilhwan to be cruel.

But seeing as Beru was with Suho now, it seemed that the misunderstanding had already been cleared up. Seeing his grandson so worried for his safety gave Ilhwan a fuzzy feeling inside that he didn’t hate at all.

“Ahem… Don’t you worry. I know my condition better than anyone.” The old man did his best not to grin, patting Suho’s back with the most solemn look he could muster. He then turned toward the gate he had emerged from. “Suho, let’s go inside first,” he said.

“What? Into the dungeon?”

“Yes.”

Suho turned to look at the gate Ilhwan was pointing at.

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